How To Choose The Perfect Flooring For Your Home

Flooring provides a foundation for the rest of the space. Image Via: The Sitting Room

As far as interior design is concerned, flooring is the unsung hero. While you often hear people remark on how much they love the paint or furniture, the covering on the floor tends to fade into the background and become a strong supporting character.

But, that doesn’t mean it isn’t important. The type of flooring that you choose should be able to stand on its own and enhance the other design elements in the space. That can be a tall order when you consider the breadth of options on the market.

If you’re in the market for the perfect flooring for your home, don’t worry. We’ve prepared a guide to help you focus in on finding your best option. Use it to make your next home improving project a breeze.

Think About How You’ll Use The Space

Functionality is paramount when it comes to choosing flooring. After all, every second you are in that space, something – whether it’s furniture or feet – is always touching the ground. It can really make or break a room.

It goes without saying that different rooms in your home will have distinct needs. Whereas a kitchen will probably require a harder surface that is easy to clean and can stand and can stand up to constant use, you may want to focus more on softer and warmer materials for bedrooms.

If you need easy cleaning, consider harder materials like wood or tile. If you are environmentally conscious, look into sustainable options like bamboo. If comfort comes before all else, you may want to focus on carpet.

Consider Your Sense Of Style

Of course, you’ll need to pick a flooring material that you love. The first step, as with any design project, is to look to site’s like Freshome for inspiration and guidance on how to recreate your favorite interiors. However, where flooring is concerned it may be worth it to take a trip to a few showrooms where you can get a feel for the product and the proper upkeep as well.

In addition to making sure that you love the material, you should also ensure that it blends with the other flooring in your home. Choose something that will help you’re home’s design scheme that will flow effortlessly from one room to the next without appearing jarring or confusing to the eye.

A note on longevity: Flooring is not the place to embrace trends. Since it is laborious and often costly to replace, it is best to choose materials that are more neutral and will create a timeless look. Focus on picking something with a color and texture that will pair well with a variety of shades. This will ensure that you’ll be able to change simpler design elements and the floor will still look amazing.

Be Realistic About Durability

Unlike changing paint colors, installing new flooring is one of those home improvement projects that takes a more than a weekend of DIY to get right. As you pick the material that you want to install in your new home, you want to be sure that you focus on something that will be able to grow with your home for years to come.

For instance, if you’re a growing family with young children who are prone to unexpected drops and spills, it may be worth it to wait on ultra-expensive hard woods for a few years. Composite models are cheaper and often less fragile, but can offer a similar look.

In addition to taking freak accidents into account, you’ll also want to think about the amount of upkeep that your new flooring will require. Use the internet to research how to properly care for the material and keep an eye out for accounts of unusual wear and tear.

Pick a material that will stand up to your daily wear and tear. Image Via: Cantoni

Know Your Budget

Obviously, with any home renovation, sticking to a realistic budget is going to be a concern. However, in particular, the price of flooring has the potential to vacillate greatly. While laminate options can start as low as $1.00 per square foot, higher-end marble tiles reach around $20.00 for the same amount of surface area.

This fluctuation means that it’s critical to do your research before settling on a floor that you love. Even before bringing contractors out to give you an official estimate, it may be worth it to take preliminary measurements of your space. That way, as you look into different options, you’ll have an idea of how much material will be required.

Luckily, if you are looking to save a few pennies, there are plenty of options at your disposal. Those going for a hardwood feel can look in to engineered laminate options. Ask your installation company if you can use a remnant, or portion of flooring leftover from another job, to get your materials at a fraction of the cost.

Remember, in addition to the cost of the flooring itself, you also need to take into account supplementary costs like labor and shipping fees. Take all of these numbers as you look at your finances and remember to leave a little extra room for any unforeseen expenses that may pop up during the course of the project.

When you look at the amount of flooring options on the market, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. While these materials may not be your first consideration when redesigning a room, your choice will either help bring the space together or make it stick out like a sore thumb. Follow our guide to help you choose the right floor for your space. We have the tips to help you narrow down your choices and find something that works with your look, budget, and lifestyle.

What type of flooring do you prefer? Do you have any shopping tips to share? Tell us in the comments below.

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Braywills

Informative post!! When planning for home improvement flooring is one of the important feature which must be considered as a priority because good flooring makes the double value of our house. Thanks for sharing this useful information with us. Thanks!!

jayashree

Flooring is important for house..simply nice…

kristintopping

Thanks for wonderful article on flooring. The flooring is an important part of any interior design, which is why whenever an architect or an interior designer is working on the blueprints of any building, whether a resident, a commercial or an industrial building, the flooring is one of the major aspects that he will have to specify. It has to be beautiful and add a sense of personality to the space and it is also very practical so it can meet the demands of the customer. I have been in this trade for many years and our excellent reputation amongst local contractors and designers as well as a long list of satisfied clients can attest to our superior craftsmanship, attention to detail, clear communication, honesty and integrity. Nice job.